Implement for cleaning drains.



J. H. WOOLHISER IMPLEMENT FOR CLEANING BRAINS. APPLICATION FILED Nov.2o. 191s.

1,21 5,461. rammed Feb. 13, 1017.

STATES PATENT omen.

AY H. ween-RISER, or ELMHUBST, NEW tom z.

} IMPLEMENT FOR CLEANING-DRAINS.

To all whom it may concern:

section,

a and useful Improvements in of which the following isa specification.

This inventionrelates to improvements-in .-which is adapted to be used withouting the traps or otherwise disconnecting any Be it known that I, JAY H. WOOLHISEB, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elmhurst, in the county of Queens, city and State of New York, have invented new Implements for Cleaning Drains,

implements for cleaning drain pipes, etc. of household plumbing fixtures, and has for its object to produce an implement of this kind openportion ofthe plumbing installation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an implementwhich may be eflectively used by inexperienced persons, and which-Will with a few moments manipulation, successfully clear out a clogged drain pipe sufliciently'to allow the Water to flow through it and carry the accumulated material into the sewer.

A further. object of my invention is to I produce a device of this kind which is'of lowmanufacturing cost and embodies no working parts which may get out of order or necessitate repair. a

With the aboveobjects in view, my invention consists of the device shown in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described and claimed. In the said drawings,

Figure 1 shows my improved implement partially inserted in the U-trap of a wash basin; and I Fig. 2.is an enlarged View, partially in showing the construction of the implement.

My improved device consistsessentially of'a length of. closely coiled steel wire' 1, having at one end thereof a rigidly attached handle 2. The freeend of the coil is bent to one side at an angle of about 45degrees from the longitudinal line of the main portion of the coil as shown at 3-, and is slightly pulled out to open the spaces between the adjacent turns of the coil as indicated at 4.

The main portion of the coil 1, which is preferably about a' yard and a half in length, is coiled so tightly that the turns of the coil cannot be pulled apart by a person of ordinary strength. This result is attained by winding the coil around the mandrel with just sufficient relative longitudinal movement of the mandrel and the wire to pre- I Specification of Letters Patent.

vent the wire turns of the trap,

being coiled on itself. In other words, the turn in the wire is substantially a kink at rightangles to the axis of the coil and is forced down against the tension of'the wire into parallelism with the adjacent turn. By' this construction the coil, while sufficiently flexible to follow the is rigid enough to withstand considerable thrust before it will begin to fold. Also, the close coiling, as described, prevents the adjacent turns of the wire in following the bends of the trap, from opening up sufllciently to catch against the edges of the connected pipes or other projections which may be encountered.

The handle 2 is preferably of the type known as a screwdriver handle; that is, one with which end thrust and rotation may be simultaneously imparted to the connected implement.

In using the device the flexible rod is thrust into the pipe to be cleaned by grinding it with one hand near the drain opening to feed it into the drain and at the same time rotating the rod and thrusting it into the pipewith the other hand by-means of the attached handle. '7 The bent end of the coil with the opened turns serves the double capacity of a guide for causing the bend of the implement to find its way around the turns of the pipe and of a -hook to 'loosen the clogged material forming the obstruction and catchthe lint or other refuse which may be pulled'out of the pipe. The chief cause of stopped drains is the accumulation of lint or other insoluble fibrous material against 'which the soap, grease, etc., is packed when the flow through the drain is impeded. The mass'is soft enough for the flexible rod to penetrate easily, but unlessthe whole m'asscloggin'g the drain may be withdrawn with the implement.

It is not necessary that the end of the opened-up coils broken up .even though-it willv Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

Application filed Noveinber 2o, 915.- Serial No. 62,642.

terminate in a point after the manner of a screw in order to penetrate this macork terial, and such construction is not desirable, for'the rod withthe pointed end would penetrate the, lead of the pipe. This may be prevented by flattening together the two last turns of the offset portion as shownin that point,

, allow it to slightly .30 also assistsin loosening the the drawing. In its action as a guide the bent end, by its simultaneous progressive and rotative movement, causes the rod to follow the turns of the pipe and pass any obstruc- 5 tion that may be encountered. For instance,

in passing the plug '5 at the bottom of the U-trap 6, the end of the rod will engage the shoulder 7 should the bent portion be projecting downwardly when the end reaches but the flexibility of the rod will buckle slightly with the continuous thrust until the rotation of the rod turns the bent portion upwardly clear of the shoulder. The rod will then pass easily 15 through the trap as thecoils are too close to catch even on the sharp edge of the plug opening. 7

In' making a turn around an elbow the action is the same. The rod will buckle until the rotation brings the bent end into the same direction as the continuation from the elbow where thestraightening of the released rod will project the end far enough into the pipe to insure the easy passage of the rod.

In Withdrawing the device, the rotation is continued so that if one of the spaced coils oftthe bent end catches on an edge of the pipe sections it will be freed. The rotation grease etc., adhering to the walls of pipe.

' Household drains are in a great majority of cases clogged within or near enough to the trap of the sink or other fixture tobe reached, with a flexible rod of the length mentioned above, and as the clogged material usually consists of soap, lint and other small particles which, if loosened will pass on into the sewer, a prompt use by the householder of my improved implement will completely relieve the trouble without necessitating a call from theplumber or any disconnection of the pipes.

LAII implement of the class described comprising a flexible rod formedby coiling a resilient wire in such manner that the turns in the coil are held in close contact by the tension of the wire, said rod being provided with a handle at one end whereby it may be grasped for facilitating a simultane ous thrust and rotation of the rod, andilhaving at its opposite end a short permanently ofiset rigid portio bent at an angle ,ito-the "axis of the coil with the turns thereofspaced apart.

2. An implement of the class described.

. tion spaced apart, said rod having its extreme end free of any penetrating pro ection which would cause the end of the rod towork into the soft metal of a pipe upon rotation of the rod. I I

Signed at Maspeth,

in the county of Queens and State of New :York,

this 5th day of Nov., 1915.

JAY H. WOOLHISER.

the turns of the coil; 

